She quit the church for Hypocrisy and unfairness and as she described it “this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous” will she also quit The Dems for the same reasons including purposefully contentious and untruthful and spreading false rumors ? They did so even in reporting her story and reasons why; including pointing to Michelle Bachmann directly as one of Anne Rice’s reasons.

On Wednesday, Rice wrote the following on her Facebook page:

“For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

The she followed this with:

“As I said below, I quit being a Christian. I’m out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”

Explaining herself further, Rice’s latest offering on her Facebook page emphasizes that her faith remains as strong as ever, but that it is the affiliation with some of the religion’s followers that has prompted her to redefine herself:

“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.”

Apparently, because of the religious right’s imposition of Christianity’s dogma, into our politics, Rice has made the break from her affiliations with Christianity and Catholicism:

Earlier this week on her public Facebook page, Rice had expressed her horror and revulsion at two different news stories that shared similar themes.

The first was the co-opting of the “Christian” imprimatur by the GOP-linked “Christian punk rock” band You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, (see actual sentence and extended comments below) who deride America for not being “moral enough” to make homosexuality a capital crime like it is in Iran. The second story was an exposé of a seven-year old boy who had been indoctrinated into Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church, whose sole great commission is virulent hatred.

Ms. Rice has had an on again off again relationship with Christianity

The author’s relationship with her faith hasn’t been a straightforward one. Raised as a Catholic, she rejected religion early on and became a committed atheist. In 1998, however, Rice returned to her beliefs. Her journey back to her faith was detailed in her 2008 memoir Called out of Darkness. After reaffirming her belief in God, Rice took the decision in 2002 to publicly dedicate her writing to Christ, saying that she would now only “write for the Lord”. This was also marked by a turn away from writing her supernatural novels, whereby she chose to instead write about the life of Jesus and other similar subjects. Her return to Catholicism, which alienated some of her fans, came with a few caveats though, one of which was that she would continue to support gay rights.http://www.care2.com/causes/civil-rights/blog/anne-rice-quits-christianity-over-anti-gay-anti-feminist-religious-right/

Anne Rice after having left organized religion returned to it and has now left again. She would do well to leave organized politics too! Ms. Rice, learned about the hypocrisy of Christianity and I applaud her decision as I agree it is the same with all organized religions. Indeed it is the same with any and every organized group. She now needs to quit organized political groups and become an Independent.

Forget the Dems and join the RIDs. Below is a Sentence from the Anne Rice story written in the Huffington Post by Michael Rowe Award-winning independent journalist, essayist, and author

The award winner in his story adds supported by Michelle Bachman, before the words ‘who believes that Gays should be executed’. After I read the sentence below, I was horrified as most less astute readers were probably led to believe, that Congressman Bachmann and the GOP believes homosexuals should be executed.

SO-I followed the link and found out a bit more of the whole story. I hope you do to. I am a BAC myself however, I had no idea, nor do most Christians that this band feels this way. BUT I can tell you, I have no desire to hear them or invite them anywhere now. I suspect they will be less invited since this interview and less supported as well. I urge you to contact you Congress and Senators and urge them to Ban this group from Future GOP venues and fund raiser events.

Earlier this week on her public Facebook page, Rice had expressed her horror and revulsion at two different news stories that shared similar themes.

The first was the co-opting of the “Christian” imprimatur by the GOP-linked “Christian punk rock” band You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, supported by Michele Bachmann,who believe thatgays should be executed, and who deride America for not being “moral enough” to make homosexuality a capital crime like it is in Iran.

Anne Rice, is repulsed as am I by this rock group and their view as it is reported here. I am repulsed by many far right Christian views against Gays and the Westboro Church leaves me without words. But to place every Christian, all the GOP and Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin and others in the same boat is morally equivlent to the racism and gay bashing. It’s morally reprehensible and Anne Rice should be outraged and speak out against this as well. She and her son and her cause are being used! Every gay person should be apalled by this gross injustice.

Frankly, Ms Bachmann is against Gay Marriage as are 70 % of all Americans, as are President Obama, and President Clinton and SOS Hillary Clinton. Just because she supported a Christian Band does not mean that she supports the execution of Gays nor that she knew they felt this way or would utter such words.

Further, I can’t image anyone in office, stupid enough to admit having such feelings if they had them. What I am saying is, this misuse of journalism is just as narrow minded and wrong as the dogma coming out of the church. Do unto others or it never stops.

Meanwhile best wishes to Anne Rice and her family as they move forward in a live and let live attitude and let’s have a bit of what we preach including the political agenda of the left to smear the right for what they are not guilty of.

Anne Rice has attempted to take back the absolute core of her spiritual beliefs, that being compassion, love and understanding and a personal relationship with the Divine, from the grabbing hands of those who continue to use religion as a weapon to deny others their rights and dignity. In that, Rice has given a voice to other like-minded believers who are tired of having their faith hijacked to support personal and political agendas.

A few days ago I posted an exhausted pieced from Barbara about Epidemic of acid-attacks on Islamic women. I barely got a comment or two. Why not? By the time you get done reading what is going on in our own courts here perhaps you won’t think it is not your problem!

I got a notice today about Time Magazine’s cover showing a beautiful 18 year old Bibi Aisha without a nose, the result of her punishment for running away from her abusers. Aisha:18-year-old sentenced by a Taliban

I am appalled that we are being asked to fight against the stoning. I was surprised as hell that we even bothered in the first place. What has taken us this long to get involved. I am glad to do it but we need to do more than stop the stoning. You need to understand that her whole family is now being tortured and the family of her defense attorney as well as he is in hiding for letting the story out.

We need to RISE UP and go a step further. We need to demand Human Rights for Women worldwide. It is not enough to end stoning, We need to end any and all mistreatment of women in every way, shape and form. It is abhorrent and must end! The kangaroo courts, the treatment of women as chattel, forced marriage and acid treatment or mutilations and torture or murders simply must end!

These are not religious customs – these are cults that sacrifice males and discard and/or abuse female human beings in torturous ways from birth to death and it must be stopped by the world community. We women as the majority of humankind should be the first to mobilize and we must rise NOW! We must recognize the need.

Appear to be Phobic? Phobic as in irrational fears? Do I look stupid? Would I be called Klanophobic, Naziphobic, Racephobic, Traffickingophobic, Misogynyophobic and Sexistophobic just because I fear the continued use of those injustices and how they have hurt humanity?

How about you? Are you not phobic about these very real injustices that very well may befall you or your daughters? They are happening every day right here in the good old USA!

If so – I am sorry for your lack of good sense! It appears we now label everyone in order to keep them from using good sense. So be it but I will take it then that phobic now stands for a rational fear based on risk and probability and overt threats in our lives and our country by those we now fear for good cause. Don’t blame us – for believing those who threatened us, we would be foolish to go around like village idiots ignoring the threats!

Fear Rational vs. Irrational:

We pride ourselves on being the only species that understands the concept of risk, yet we have a confounding habit of worrying about mere possibilities while ignoring probabilities, building barricades against perceived dangers while leaving ourselves exposed to real ones….
So I’d like to pose the idea that “rational fear,” or the ability to accurately calculate risk and thereby avoid trouble, *is* a function of Mind, whereas “irrational fear” or being thrown by every suggestion that comes your way, is not. “Rational fear” in this sense becomes a form of good judgment; “irrational fear” is allowing yourself to be buffeted by rumors and conjecture.http://lauramatthewscs.blogspot.com/2006/11/rational-and-irrational-fear.html

On the case of Islamophobia, What part of the 911 hijackers, The shoe bomber, The Denver subway plotter, The Christmas Day crotch bomber and Ft. Hood shooter, for starters ended up as rumors or conjecture? What part of the hundreds of terrorist rants since the 1990’s threatening infidels lives is pure conjecture and can be categorized under irrational fears known as phobia?

We need to mobilize immediately to preserve the dignity of humanity around the world and right here at home. Our daughters are in danger! Already Family Courts are prejudiced against mothers in favor of abusive husbands in unbelievable numbers. Are our courts becoming Taliban-like? You decide! Here is a whole site devoted to Judges who gave the abuser the child against the mother’s testimony. Read and see how many of these children lived to tell about it.http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/pas/media.html-

Try this story about a woman who was turned down by THREE judges and now her baby is dead!

Documents detailing the stoning sentence, however, make it clear that Ashitani was convicted of adultery – a crime she only admitted to after receiving 99 lashes, a crime she later retracted completely.

So why are the murder charges coming up again?

Mina Ahadi, of the Iran Committee against Stoning (ICAS), has the following insight: “In adultery cases, women are sentenced because of the complaints from their husbands or families generally, but surprisingly, Sakineh (Ashtiani) is sentenced to death by stoning not because the family of her husband have made a complaint against her, but because the Tabriz prosecutor has made a complaint. In other words, it’s the authorities in Iran who want Sakineh (Ashtiani) to be stoned to death.”

Or as the case is now execution by hanging.

How the judiciary is able to change Ashtiani’s conviction after all this time with no evidence is beyond me. It seems clear that as Ahadi says the authorities are the ones who want to punish Ashtiani – and will do so in with whatever means they can. In addition to the lashings she already received, recent reports from Ashtiani’s cellmate reveal that she has been tortured and severely beaten by several guards while in prison too.

As if this case couldn’t get any worse, Human rights attorney Mohammed Mostafaei, who up until recently represented Ashtiani, is believed to be in hiding now from officials as a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

His crime? Making Ashtiani’s incredibly unjust case too public. In fact, given the great international attention that the case has received local media have been banned from reporting on the case.

“Other attorneys have been arrested similarly when they have tried to advocate for certain people,” said Ahadi. “This is something the government of Iran has tried over and over again — to hush, using fear and intimidation tactics and also imprisoning anyone that they feel is threatening.”

Only time will tell what will happen to both Ashtiani and Mostafaei and his family but it is certain that the international community at large will be watching and waiting for justice.

Listen to the story and decide… not on the Party but in the principle- where have all the PATRIOYS gone?

545 vs. 300,000,000

EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE–By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it’s because they want them in IRAQ .

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees… We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. What you do with this article now that you have read it… Is up to you.

Put these words Upon his tomb, ‘Taxes drove me to my doom’… When he’s gone, Do not relax, It’s time to apply The inheritance tax.

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Our cover image this week is powerful, shocking and disturbing. It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws. Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan, many of whom have flourished in the past few years. Her picture is accompanied by a powerful story by our own Aryn Baker on how Afghan women have embraced the freedoms that have come from the defeat of the Taliban — and how they fear a Taliban revival.

As horrifying as this cover of TIME is I am glad after much consideration they decided to print it.

The world needs to be aware of just how badly women are abused. Can you even wrap your mind around the fact that this beautiful girl had her nose and ears cut off to control her behavior?

What civil society remains silent to this?

If this was done to a live animal many groups would be yelling about abuse, yet done to a girl. Silence.

This girl Aisha has lifted her veil as so many courageous women are doing to break the silence.

Note from BJ *You will find on any given day crowds marching against racism charges (mostly false) and demanding amnesty for illegal immigrants. Even the uncovering of dog fighting would bring out a large crowd protest! Yet sexism and misogyny doesn’t even tip the meter! People will gasp at this cover and tomorrow forget it just like all the other misogyny they ignore. Sins of omission.

At 16, her father promised her hand in marriage and she was handed over to a large family, who she claims were all members of the Taliban in Oruzgan province. “I spent two years with them and became a prisoner,” she says. Tortured and abused, she couldn’t take it any longer and decided to run away. Two female neighbors promising to help took her to Kandahar province. But this was just another act of deception. When they arrived to Kandahar her female companions tried to sell Aisha to another man. All three women were stopped by the police and imprisoned. Aisha was locked up because she was a runaway. And although running away is not a crime, in places throughout Afghanistan it is treated as one if you are a woman. A three-year sentence was reduced to five months when President Hamid Karzai pardoned Aisha. But eventually her father-in-law found her and took her back home. That was the first time she met her husband. He came home from Pakistan to take her to Taliban court for dishonoring his family and bringing them shame. The court ruled that her nose and ears must be cut off. An act carried out by her husband in the mountains of Oruzgan where they left her to die. But she survived. And with the help of an American Provincial Reconstruction Team in Oruzgan and the organization Women for Afghan Women (WAW), she is finally getting help. The United Nations estimates that nearly 90 percent of Afghanistan’s women suffer from some sort of domestic abuse. “Bibi Aisha is only one example of thousands of girls and women in Afghanistan and throughout the world who are treated this way. Aisha is reminded of that enslavement every time she looks in the mirror. But there still times she can laugh. And at that moment you see her teenage spirit escaping a body that has seen a lifetime of injustice.

A shout out to Gloria Allred for bringing attention to the ERA. Below is a press release from Gloria Allred:

Attorney Gloria Allred Begins Hunger Strike (90 meal solid food fast) In support of the Equal Rights Amendment In Advance of 90 Anniversary of Women’s winning the right to vote in the U.S.

Attorney Gloria Allred announced today she has began a 90 meal fast to draw attention to the need to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would guarantee equal rights for women.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first proposed by Alice Paul in 1923. Although it was previously introduced into Congress and passed on to the U.S. Secretary and House of Representative and sent to the states in 1972 for ratification, a time limit was placed on the Amendment and ultimately it was not ratified by enough states before the time limit expired in 1979 or within the time extended by Congress to 1982. (35 states ratified and 3 more were needed.)

The ERA has been since been reproduced with Congress (HJ.Res.61) but is still in the process of gathering co-sponsors.

Ms. Allred’s 90 meal hunger strike fast, in which she will give up solid food for 90 days, will end on August 26, 2010, Women’s Equal Rights Day. That day marks the 90th anniversary of women’s winning the right to vote in the U.S. by the addition of the 19th Amendment suffrage to the U.S. Constitution.

A big slap to the face of Greta bloggers who bring attention to the misogyny that is still thriving.

Selia
How absurd. I thought women had equal rights. Who knew. I guess Gloria. I’ve always thought hunger strikes were funny. So are protesters. All just looking for a few minutes on camera. If you really care about an issue, do something REAL about it.

Ron
Blimey ! And here I was hoping that she wanted to repeal perhaps the biggest mistake ever made in our country: Giving women the right to vote!

free the media
with any luck at all, she’ll be so successful that she will disappear like the Wicked Witch of the West and we will no longer be subjected to this media whore

By Barbara
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IMAGINE –this is what women are up against still today! What can be more prejudicial against human rights than the above statements, following on the heels of Hillary is a Bitch and Sarah is a Cunt ? These are not isolated statements – they are the norm. What’s worse, they are tolerated far and wide across our country and by our media and they must be stopped! Why are there no marches in the street and more support for Ms. Alred? RIDs should be supporting her for the sake of all women. Why do masses support false racism and why do masses support illegl immigration but not sexism? Why? I demand to know why we women are tolerating this? Why?

I’ll tell you why- we have become soft and cowardly/. We are not our mothers and grandmothers daughters. – We haven’t got the cahoonas! I suggest you get up off your asses and start acting like the Women of the suffragist era and fast! You are acting instead like fools!

Meanwhile, people of color are screaming racism where none exists, even our own President has jumped to racist conclusions twice now and has had to apologize. Illegal immigrants are allowed to stream over our borders and lie, cheat and steal at will, and God forbid we disapprove- we are racists but stand up for a woman’s human rights and we join the cunt club.

Terrorists are allowed to build cells and take flying lessons so they can hijack planes and destroy over 3000 lives, terrorists have been given 80,000 dollar free tuition in our universities and now are plotting against us and training Islamic terrorists to come kill us and dare we question these things – we are Islamaphobes . But stand up for a Woman’s human Rights –and they will nail us to a wall as Bitches. You are getting the ass end of everything anyway – stand up and fight for love of Jane- Fight like a woman!

There are riots in the streets if one hair on the head of a black man is ruffled while committing a crime or a Hispanic is shot while crossing the Rio Grande by a white cop. He will be called into question because as our President says ‘there is a history of white prejudice where white cops act stupidly.’ It may be so however, what happened to innocent until proven guilty if white … or woman?

There are Mobs of people all over the country celebrating what is perceived to be a victory for illegal immigrants – there is something wrong with that picture! A POTUS fighting for the rights of illegal anything .…

It is just so damned different than when women were marching and fighting for their human rights. Let me remind you. Perhaps someone might remind the President what American women went through and are still going through and just how damned stupid he is. And perhaps he can tell his cronie jackass friends that the civil rights battle for the black women never got settled. And perhaps black and brown women will understand that they are still enslaved – and they don’t seem to mind being slaves just as long as they are not COLORED SLAVES!

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cell mate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the ‘Night of Terror’ on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson’s White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women’s only water came from an open pail. Their food–all of it colorless slop–was infested with worms.

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

* Note at that time the press was not bought and paid for as it is now – now it is up to us to take back our country and we can do this – if we stick together. RIDsNow

On July 31, 2008, a couple was married by arrangement in Morocco when the bride was 17 years old. They moved to Bayonne, New Jersey, where the new husband found work as an accountant. The husband’s mother came to live with them.

On November 1st of that year, “acts of domestic abuse” commenced. The young girl finally called the police who, on November 22, 2008 (three weeks later) were still able to photograph numerous, visible bruises all over her body, including on her breasts. Her first punishment session lasted for one hour, during which time she cried all the time. This did not stop her husband. He said that he was doing this “to correct her.” The second time, he attacked both her breasts and genitalia, including pulling her pubic hair. Her vagina was very red and swollen—and that is when he administered his ultimate “pedagogical” punishment: He raped her. In addition, on a separate occasion, he slapped her face, “causing her lip to swell and bleeding to occur.” At that time, she escaped “without shoes or proper clothing” through a window and was taken to a hospital by the police.